REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA

Since 1939, the WVU Reed College of Media has been graduating journalism and mass communications specialists into an increasingly global marketplace. This long-standing tradition of educating skilled and ethical media professionals remains a cornerstone of our approach. As a result, our graduates have gone on to successful careers as award-winning journalists and high-level strategic communicators.

Our focus on teaching accuracy, ethics, reporting, and writing has not changed, but the digital revolution has required that we further adapt our curriculum and programs to remain relevant to our students and industry.

The journalism and mass communications industry is undergoing a radical change. Newspapers and broadcast outlets are losing readers, viewers, and revenue. Audiences, bombarded with information from a variety of sources and platforms, are becoming increasingly fractured.

Media consumers have become more selective, more engaged, and more “wired” than ever before. Industry professionals are trying to meet those needs through multi-platform storytelling, interactive tools, and information that is current, trustworthy, and instantly accessible.

As a college of media, we face a significant challenge. The industry demands much of our graduates and us. It is no longer enough to train our students to be skilled communications professionals. We must prepare them to be leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs, who are able and ready to meet the demands of the 21st century media revolution.

This is our State of Minds at the College of Media: we will provide our students with a dynamic, relevant education, offering an innovative curriculum, real-world opportunities, and access to current technology and media applications. At the same time, we will continue to honor our core traditions by providing hands-on learning experiences that serve the needs of our students, the region, and the global community.

We will conduct high-quality research that helps to raise the University’s research profile, advances our industry, and improves people’s lives. We will continue to recruit and retain the most talented faculty who bring new ideas, passion, and professionalism to the classroom. Their research and discoveries will help to strengthen the role of media in a democratic society.

The reason is clear: people and industries of West Virginia expect much from us. Knowledge. Leadership. Innovation. And skilled graduates who will contribute to the growth and vitality of their own local communities. We can and will exceed those expectations—but only with your generosity and support.

The Trajectory of Success

With more than seven decades behind us, the Reed College of Media has never been in a better position to shape the future and lead change. Our progress is evident through our strong enrollment, the modernization of our facilities, the continued success of our alumni, and our growing reputation as a leader in innovation.

We have earned national recognition for our real-world experiential learning and community outreach projects—from the student-produced newscast ranked best in the nation by the Broadcast Education Association to “West Virginia Uncovered,” a grant-funded project designed to help rural media transition to the digital age.

The “Soldiers of the Coalfields” media project in Kimball, W.Va., is chronicling the stories of African American veterans, utilizing cross-platform storytelling and interactive media technologies, while helping to boost tourism and economic development in the former booming coal community.

Similarly, the “Mobile Main Street” initiative is a cross-curricular experiment in new economic models for community media. Students and faculty are developing mobile applications to deliver news and commercial content and, ultimately, to provide revenue streams for rural media and small businesses in Appalachia.

In addition to our niche in service learning, we have become a national leader in online education, offering ground-breaking degree programs, such as the nation’s first online master’s degree in Integrated Marketing Communications. Our relevance to the University community also remains strong, as we serve a large number of non-journalism students through our highly successful online minors. Peer institutions often look to us for advice on developing academically rigorous programs that can be offered online.

Even with these successes, there is so much more we can do—with your commitment, vision, and generosity. The School’s participation in A State of Minds: The Campaign for West Virginia’s University will support new opportunities and initiatives designed to address the challenges our industry and academic discipline face in a constantly evolving communications landscape.

As we look ahead, we must remain relevant to our students by providing them an innovative curriculum and the skills and mindset to adapt to an industry in flux. We will continue to build upon our growing reputation as a center of research, creative activity, and service learning, attracting the best and brightest students and faculty to help lead us into the future.

Priorities for Tomorrow

The Reed College of Media has identified a list of essential funding priorities that, with your vital support, will power our accomplishments in education and research in the coming decades. A State of Minds: The Campaign for West Virginia’s University is the vehicle through which you can make a difference for students and faculty members, as well as our state, national, and global communities.